EXTOL Announces EDI-to-XML in New Integrator Release
EXTOL Inc. (Franklin Lakes, N.J.), a provider of Business-to-Business data transformation products and services for e-Business, recently announced that its new release, EXTOL Integrator Release 5.0, will offer XML transformation.
Integrator is described as “the fastest, most efficient EDI software in the AS/400 marketplace,” by EXTOL, and is available for IBM AS/400 and Windows NT now; a version for the UNIX platform will be available shortly.
“XML processing, formula processing, and Java deployed user interface, are the three most important new features in the new version,” says Mark Denchy, director of development at EXTOL. “There are about 45 new features altogether.”
XML transformation, the most important new feature in 5.0, takes standard EDI element IDs and converts them to XML tags. Integrator allows users to look at incoming data in a readable form by using XML style sheets that accompany incoming documents; XML documents can be processed as data, attached to e-mail, or sent by fax.
Enhanced Formula Processing is another new key feature of Release 5.0. It allows an arithmetic or logical user-defined formula to be applied to inbound and outbound operations. This reduces the need for external programming to process applications.
“Formula processing will allow users to embed business logic,” says Denchy, adding that formulas are shared, which allows reuse throughout the mapping structure.
Integrator 5.0 features a new user interface. While still supporting the traditional “green-screen” terminals, Integrator 400 and Integrator NT will also be supported by Java. Denchy says the GUI piece is Java deployed through a browser and it is truly visual.” Intuitive menus and data flow, as well as a drag-and-drop mapper are features expected to reduce the learning curve.
With the increasing importance of e-Business in mind, EXTOL also offers the possibility of securing transactions being sent over the Internet. Integrator 5.0 includes support for EXTOL’s Internet Commerce, a product that has to be purchased and licensed separately. This solution interfaces with Integrator, making the Internet a secure and reliable network for EDI and XML transport. Public key cryptography is also included in this product to ensure privacy and integrity.
Integrator 5.0 was developed as a result of user and community feedback, a customer survey, recommendations from EXTOL’s User Council. Any version of the solution, from Release 3.3 and higher, may be upgraded to 5.0 in one single step.
EXTOL Inc., an IBM Business Partner, provides interoperable and scalable technology across the AS/400, Windows NT, UNIX and Linux platforms. Its products span the areas of data translation software, Internet security, communications, Web-based trading, application hosting, education, and outsourcing. EXTOL has been recognized as one of the top 500 software companies by Software Magazine, named one of the fastest growing companies in the country by Inc. Magazine, and named to Deloitte & Touche’s “Fast 500” program.
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